Just Like a Circus
by DarylDixon'sgirl1985
Summary: Hermione Granger has always loved going to the circus since could remember. It was something she could do with her parents and spend time with them. Parvati Patil has always been a trapeze artist, until she went to Hogwarts. Her parents have always run a circus that her and sister were a part of. What will happen the circus brings these two different women together? Will it be love


**Hey everyone. This story was brought to you by Northern Funfair's Ice Fishing, Southern Funfair's Magical Mistletoe, Eastern Funfair's Winter Cocktails, Galleons Club, and Sophie's Shelf on Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Also for Sapphic Season on Harry Potter Fanfiction Challenges.**

**Northern Funfair's Ice Fishing: J1 (AU) Circus**

**Southern Funfair's Magical Mistletoe: (pairing) Hermione Granger/Parvati Patil **

**Eastern Funfair's Winter Cocktails: Gingerbread Eggnog (dialogue) "You make me want to be a better person."**

**Galleons Club: (color) pastel yellow**

**Sophie's Shelf: Other Prompts (color) turquoise **

**Sapphic Season: Hermione Granger/Parvati Patil **

**Practice round for International Wizarding Championship: School: Ilvermorny, Year 2, Prompt (character pairing) Hermione/? (Parvati), Theme relationships**

**Warning for Circus!AU, also out of character. Word count is 1,622 words. I hope you all enjoy Just Like a Circus. **

Hermione Granger has always loved going to the circus as a young girl. It was one of her favorite things to do when the circus came to town. She'd always beg her parents to take her. It was one of her favorite times where they could be together as family. Forgetting work, and school and just enjoy each others company.

This didn't change over the years. The reasons for liking the circus however did change. When she was just starting school she saw a trapeze artist for the first time. The sequence and the outfits were cute. Plus she had always been interested in seeing how they flew around with the greatest of ease.

There was also another reason she liked watching the trapeze artists. A reason she tried to bury and push down inside. She didn't understand what made her feel like she when she watched the young girls fly across the ring. The explosion of butterflies as she watched the pretty Indian girls flip and do all sorts of things on the trapeze.

After she entered Hogwarts she hadn't been to the circus in some time. There were other more pressing matters to deal with during those years. Like the fighting Voldemort, and creating SPEW.

It wasn't until years after the war that she went to her first circus in years. The Patil family circus was a new one that came to town that year. She took her daughter Rose with her because it was something she had always loved to do with her parents. She figured that it could be a sort of tradition for her and Rosie to do.

"Mummy," Rose said tugging on her sleeve as they took their seats, "did you always used to like going to the circus when you were my age?"

Looking over her red haired daughter she nodded. "I've always loved going to the circus," she said. "It's something my mother and father, and I used to do when I was younger. Something to make us forget about the troubles of our work and school day."

"That sounds like a good idea," the child mused as she turned towards the main stage. "Oh, look mummy." She pointed. "They're so pretty."

Hermione followed the young girl's pointing finger. Her eyes falling on the perfect caramel colored skin girls flying, flipping, and doing all sorts of tricks in the air. The pastel yellow, and turquoise sequence of the outfits they were wearing shining in the light from the spotlight.

"They are pretty," Hermione agreed, hoping that the light was low enough that Rose wouldn't see the reaction she was having towards the women in the air. One of the women looked familiar for some reason. "Maybe the nice owners of the circus will let us meet the performers afterwards."

"I hope they do," Rose whispered. "Everyone looks like they are so nice."

So they sat back and enjoyed the rest of the show. The lions, bears, and other creatures were amazing. The clowns were funny as always. The jugglers were masters of their crafts. Then the owners of circus came out and gave a little speech. Introducing each and every performer that had performed that day until they came to the trapeze artists.

"Our beautiful daughters," Mr. Patil said introduction, waving his arm towards the trapeze were the women were standing ready to launch into an act that would en in them landing next to their parents. "Parvati, and Padma."

The crowd oh, and awed as the two women did their second act landing perfectly unscathed between their mother and father.

"Now, we would like to extend to two lucky people the chance to have a meet and greet with our performs," Mrs. Patil said, going to read the card in her hand.

Parvati however had other ideas. She whispered something in her mother's ear after making eye contact with Hermione.

The Indian woman must have done a quick calculation of where Hermione was sitting and told her mother because soon the seats that Rose and Hermione Weasley were sitting in were being called out. Hermione couldn't believe her luck.

She and Rosie were led to the backstage section of the circus tent where all the performers were. They made their way down the long line of people greeting and talking with the performers. That is until they reached Parvati Patil.

"Hermione Granger," Parvati exclaimed, happily throwing her arms around Hermione. "It's been way too long! You look wonderful!"

"Thank you, Parvati," Hermione said returning the hug. Something had changed about Parvati Patil and Hermione liked the new version of the girl who used to hang around with Lavender Brown. "You look wonderful as well! Is Dean around here somewhere waiting for you?"

Parvati shook her head. "He cheated on me with Seamus Finnigan of all people," she said, sadly. "That's why I decided to join my family in the circus. To get away from everything that reminded me of Dean and what had happened, you know?"

Hermione nodded. She knew all too well what Parvati was going through. She'd found Ron cheating on her with Lavender Brown of all people. "I know what you are going through," she said sympathetically.

"You do?"

"Ron was cheating on me with your best friend Lavender Brown," she whispered to Parvati so as not to let Rose know what was going on.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Parvati said. "I haven't had contact with Lavender since...you know. The end of the war." She sighed as she motioned for Hermione to follow her. "Can I speak to you alone?"

Hermione looked towards nervously.

"I'll look after your little girl," Padma said seeing the nervous look Hermione had cast towards Rose. She looked over at Parvati and the two sisters shared a wink over Hermione's shoulder. "Come on, little Rose," Padma said, motioning the young girl to follow. "I"ll show you all the neat animals for the show. Maybe we can convince my Papa to allow you a ride on one of the ponies. Does that sound good?"

"It sounds great," Rose said, she turned towards her mother. "Can I, Mummy?"

Hermione nodded. She watched as Rose and Padma walked off hand in hand with each other. She'd never seen Rose so eager to go off with someone she just met before. Rose was always more nervous about meeting new people. She then turned and followed Parvati off towards the dressing room that bore the other woman's name.

"You don't mind if I change while we talk, do you?" Parvati asked, looking over her shoulder as she gathered her street clothes. "I can wait, if you do?"

"It's fine." A blush crawled up her cheeks as she tried not watch the other girl change. "I don't mind at all."

"I would very much like it if we could catch up with each other over dinner, or something like that," Parvati said nervously. "Would you like to meet up here later and do that?"

Hermione nodded eagerly. She wouldn't mind catching up with the attractive woman standing in front of her. She would have to find a babysitter for Rosie and her brother Hugo, first. "I'll see you around six thrity then?"

"Sounds like a date to me," Parvati said, with a smile.

So, Hermione took her daughter home and called the only people she trusted with her children. Harry and Ginny Potter, who quickly agreed to watch their niece and nephews. She quickly changed for the date putting on a nice pastel yellow dress that Ginny had bought her a few years ago. Then she went and met up with Parvati at the circus tent.

"Come this way," Parvait said, a smile stretching her face. "Our dinner awaits us, and then some."

Parvati led the way into the tent, holding the flap open for Hermione. Under the trapeze net was set up a candle lit dinner waiting for them. Parvati walked over and pulled out a chair for Hermione. They chatted and drank, and ate the whole dinner.

"Do you want to try a couple of flips on the trapeze?" Parvati asked, taking Hermione's hand. "I could teach, if you want?"

Hermione felt the nerves explode in her stomach. A fluttering of butterflies she hadn't felt in quite a long time went through her. She almost forgot she didn't like heights or flying, that is until she got up to the top of the trapeze.

"What's wrong?" Parvati asked, seeing that Hermione had frozen like a statue. "Are you alright, Hermione?"

Hermione nervously shook her head. "I just remembered that I have a horrible fear of heights and flying," she murmured trying her best to not look down.

"I'm sorry. I wouldn't have suggested it if I knew."

"That's different from the Parvati Patil that I knew back in Hogwarts. How did you become a better person?"

Parvati had led Hermione down from the trapeze without her ever noticing that was what had happened. She was more shocked by the question Hermione had just asked than by anything else that was happening, though.

"You make me want to be a better person, Hermione Granger," Parvati said, gently pressing her lips against Hermione's own. "You've always made me want to be a better person. I just didn't know how until now."

Hermione was shocked. She'd never known how Parvati felt about her. Most of all she never knew how she'd felt about Parvati until now.

"Would you like to be my girlfriend?" Parvati asked, nervously.

Hermione nodded.

"But we now have to find a way to incorporate you into the circus act," Parvati said. "I have a feeling that this could be something good and real for us."

**I hope you all enjoyed Just Like a Circus **


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